Tar Heels tip Duke

Saturday

NEW YORK — Heated and hostile, Round III of this rivalry looked like a North Carolina knockout Friday night, until it wasn’t.

The 12th-ranked Tar Heels avoided a crumbling finish, holding on to defeat fifth-ranked Duke 74-69 in the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament semifinals at the Barclays Center, and earning a date in Saturday night’s final against top-ranked Virginia.

“We knew it was going to be a 40-minute game and it was going to be a battle,” North Carolina forward Theo Pinson said.

Luke Maye’s 17 points and 10 rebounds were part of a host of balanced contributions for North Carolina, which led by 16 points with 5½ minutes remaining and appeared to be rolling toward perhaps delivering a rout, before Duke launched a furious rally down the stretch, ultimately pulling within 72-69.

At the end, after Duke’s Grayson Allen drilled the 3-pointer that suddenly made it a one-possession game, after the Tar Heels coughed up three turnovers during the game’s final 59 seconds against the Blue Devils’ press, Allen head-faked Maye near the 3-point line and leaned in for an attempt to tie it with about six seconds remaining.

That missed and when Pinson sank two free throws with 3.2 seconds left, North Carolina had survived, barely.

“We couldn’t go into panic mode because that’s what we did over in Durham,” North Carolina guard Kenny Williams said, referring to last weekend’s loss at Duke that closed the regular season.

The sixth-seeded Tar Heels (25-9) picked up their 100th all-time victory in the ACC Tournament and can claim their 19th ACC Tournament title Saturday night against No. 1 seed Virginia. They will be tasked with winning their fourth game in a matter of four nights to secure the crown.

“We want to continue to get better as a team and continue to reach the dreams and goals that we want to reach, and (Saturday night) is one of them,” North Carolina guard Joel Berry said. “We want to win it and that’s what we came here for.”

Late Friday night, the whiteboard in the North Carolina locker room read: “We didn’t come this far just to come this far!”

Williams drew an offensive foul against a charging Allen with 17.8 seconds remaining, a pivotal moment with the Tar Heels clinging to the 72-69 lead and in the process of not connecting on a shot from the field during the game’s last 5½ minutes, a meltdown that wiped out their 72-56 lead.

Brooks, the North Carolina freshman forward, became part of a dust-up for which this third meeting of the season between the backyard rivals here in Brooklyn will be remembered. In the first half, he was knocked to the floor by a hip-check from Allen, sending this building’s energy surging into frenzy.

Later, in the second half, Berry and Trent got locked up in the pursuit of a loose-ball rebound in the corner. Shoving and a staredown ensued between the guards, another volatile moment that sparked tempers.

“Because of what was at stake,” Williams said, explaining the emotions that turned heated at times. “There was more hostility than there might have been because there was an ACC championship on the line.”

Berry’s racing feed to Johnson for a lay-in that beat the buzzer put North Carolina ahead 36-31 at halftime.

And there was Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski, as he been moments before, seething at official Mike Eades as the two teams exited the court. Apparently, he was displeased that Berry hadn’t been called for a charging violation for contact with Duke’s Javin DeLaurier while dishing to Johnson.

What had Krzyzewski steamed prior was the Flagrant 1 foul called on Allen, for the hip-check he put on Brooks as play switched ends of the court. Allen missed a flailing shot in the lane — as the Duke bench asked aloud for a foul that wasn’t called — and then Allen made the move, turning and catching Brooks, who went to the floor.

Williams nailed a pull-up jumper seconds after Allen collided with Brooks in the backcourt, maybe 15 feet behind Williams, who had the ball at the time. Soon, replays of what happened were being shown overhead on the video boards, eliciting reactions from the Barclays Center crowd, which grew louder and more animated with each viewing.

“They got a fastbreak and I bumped him and fouled him,” Allen said.

“I wasn’t hurt, but I was kind of upset,” Brooks said. “He was running by me, I feel like he kind of stuck his leg out, but that’s what he does. It didn’t surprise me.”

Brooks sank the ensuing free throws for the flagrant foul, while Krzyzewski stared down Eades from across the court.

Brooks’ eight first-half points provided a surprising boost off the bench for North Carolina. Berry and Maye had six points apiece in the first half, while foul trouble limited Pinson, the senior, who was coming off a career-best 25 points from the night before.

Trent’s 11 points and Bagley’s 10 points topped Duke in the first half.

Neither team shot better than 37 percent in the first half. The Blue Devils started by missing their first six shots from the field and eight of their first 10, as North Carolina built an 18-5 lead.

Bagley came alive as Duke used a 9-0 run to pull within 18-14. Later, Bagley’s jump hook over Maye in the lane, as Maye perhaps hacked him, moved the Blue Devils in front at 27-26, their first lead since 1-0 to open the game.

That was fleeting. Berry buried a 3-pointer over Allen at the other end and the Tar Heels were back ahead 29-27.

About 50 seconds later, Allen missed on the drive and the hip-check that cranked the intensity several more notches was forthcoming.

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